How to Pick Your Crossbow

There’s a lot to love about Barnett Crossbows. The popular company has been crafting quality crossbows for years. We like Barnett crossbows for their design, materials, and reputation. They make crossbows of all ages, from youth bows to adult crossbows to reverse draw models. So by popular demand, we decided to pick our favorite top ten Barnett Bows and share them with you. Here are some things to look for when shopping the best crossbow.

Velocity: Velocity refers to the speed that the arrow leaves the crossbow in optimum conditions and at top settings. Velocity is always measured in feet per second.

Draw Weight: Draw weight refers to the amount of force needed to cock the bow. Crossbows usually have draw weights between 100 and 300 pounds.

Axle-to-Axle: The axle-to-axle length is the length of the bow from the axle (a small pin in the center of each cam) to the other axle. The longer it is, the easier the bow is to shoot.

Dimensions: The dimensions are measured in width by length by height. We will always measure these in inches. Make sure your crossbow won’t be too big or small for you!

Weight: How much does it weigh? If you plan to carry this out hiking in the woods, weight can make a big difference. So make sure your crossbow is light enough for you.

Warranty: The Barnett warranty covers the bows for 5 years. Each bow is covered for manufacturing defects in the stock, trigger mechanism, and the limbs of the bows.

Top 10 Products

Here are our top ten Barnett Bows! We listed them in order of our favorites, starting with the amazing Top Pick and Budget Pick. If you’re in a hurry, check those two out first. Now, let’s get to those Barnett crossbow reviews!

Here’s our favorite Barnett crossbow for sale! We love the Whitetail Hunter Pro for its incredible speeds and low draw weight. This crossbow is great even for those without super strong arms. It comes with a 4x32 scope, a rope cocking device, quiver, two arrows, and wax for your new crossbow. The components are all stainless steel. One of our favorite parts is how the crossbow helps prevent dry firing, which is dangerous for both you and the bow. The Whitetail Hunter Pro comes mostly assembled (in the USA no less!). Barnett is one of the biggest makers of crossbows in the US, and buying from them usually means buying locally. If you love fast, quality crossbows perfect for hunting or target practice, the Whitetail Hunter Pro is our favorite by far. Shoot it once, and you will immediately know why!

Our Budget Buy is a compound crossbow called the recruit. This inexpensive model has a max firing speed of 300 feet per second. The draw weight is an easy 130 pounds that makes it great for small-framed hunters. Our budget pick still manages to feature some quality accessories to go with it; with the Recruit you’ll get three 20-inch arrows, quiver, a premium red-dot sight, and a rope cocking device. The body and limbs are all a matte black. The butt stock is adjustable to make it fit snugly against your shoulder. Although the speed it reduced, you’ll find the Recruit to be accurate and deadly with enough power to take down almost anything you’re hunting. All this for one low price, too!

You’ll see quite a few differences between our top pick, the Whitetail Hunter Pro, and the Whitetail Hunter II. This Whitetail is a little slower, clocking in at 350 feet per second. That’s mostly because the draw weight has been dropped from 160 to 150 pounds. With this bow, you’ll get 103 pounds of kinetic energy in every shot. This Whitetail also features the Trigger Tech with a three-pound zero-creep release. You’ll get the same bag of goodies to go with your Whitetail II, including the quality scope, quiver, arrows, rope cocking device, and wax for the strings. Your USA-built bow will come mostly assembled with just a few bits that have to be put together to be ready to fire. So if you’re looking for a sweet Whitetail, the second one is almost as good as the Pro. We’d be happy with either, to be honest!

The Barnett Jackal Crossbow reviews are in; this crossbow is a fantastic weapon! It features a smooth, 3.5-pound trigger pull that makes firing easy and quick. At 315 feet per second, this bow is fast, and the 150-pound draw weight and 12-inch power stroke makes it powerful enough for hunting just about any kind of game. Add to those some high-energy cams, you ensure that the Jackal has a similar feel to much more expensive bows without the higher price tag. The military-style body is sleek and lightweight. We love the look of the Jackal almost as much as we enjoy shooting it. Not to mention the sweet, red-dot scope and arrows that come along with the crossbow. With the Jackal, you’ll be ready for almost anything!

The Barnett Outdoors Ghost 360 features a few cool things that really made us excited about it. The powerful bow produces speeds of up to 360 feet per second. The draw weight is 165 pounds. It features Barnett’s amazing anti-dry-firing system along with finger reminders and pass-through fore grip to keep you safer while shooting. It also includes a 5-1 safety system and trigger system. It really gives you a lot of confidence in your crossbow when it has so many safety features to help you along. The Ghost 360 features a crosswire string and cable system as well as a CNC aluminum flight track. And check this out: the riser has patented carbon technology that makes this crossbow about 43% lighter than some of the others, leaving it at just seven pounds!

If you read the Barnett crossbow reviews on this bow like we did, you’ll see why this bow made our list of top ten! The Barnett BC Raptor’s killer body is beautiful and modern, dusted with a camo design over some parts of the body. It looks and feels really special. The revolver grip reduces recoil and uses a V2 texture to help you keep your grip on the bow. It has a contoured handle to makes sure your grip is the same every time you hold the Barnett BC Raptor. The adjustable butt pad makes your experience customizable. The usual Barnett safety features help to make you feel safer while you’re enjoying it. Not only that, but this bow is one of the best looking bows we’ve ever seen!

Barnett Vicious Crossbow Want 340 feet per second with 97.6 ft pounds of kinetic energy? The Barnett Vicious Crossbow is just as its name implies: vicious! The 15.3-inch power stroke really ramps up the power in this crossbow while still leaving it at a very light six pounds. It also features some sweet trigger tech with a three-pound, zero-creep release. The outside is in the classic Realtree camo, making it pretty and practical. Like most of the other Barnett crossbows, the Vicious comes with a 4x32 illuminated scope, rope cocking device, a quiver, two arrows, and wax. This bow has most of the weight balanced and not towards the front, making it easier to aim and more accurate. We love this bow for all of its awesome features and its very Vicious attitude.

The Barnett Quad Edge S really gives you the edge while hunting. It’s a quick 350 feet per second and has an easy draw weight of 135 pounds. Its stock is made of lightweight composite materials, making it durable and strong. The Quad Edge S features a magnesium riser and a CNC-machined picatinny rail. The foot stirrup is anti-vibration. Like all of the Barnetts, it features some awesome safety features like anti-dry-firing tech and finger reminders and pass-through fore grip. The high-def camo finish looks absolutely stunning. While the bow is mostly black and dark camo, it features a few bright, electric green spots that really make it pop. Everything about this bow screams quality. And it’s so easy to use!

Want speed without limits? The Barnett Ghost 375 Crossbow can fire an arrow up to 385 feet per second, making it the fastest crossbow on this list. We’re talking 155 ft pounds of kinetic energy brought to you by a 165-pound draw weight and a 14-inch power stroke. This thing fires like a rocket! At just 7.1 pounds, it’s also extremely light for something so incredibly powerful! The Ghost 375 is covered in Realtree Max-1 Camo, giving it the rugged look and feel every hunter wants. The trigger tech has a three-pound, zero-creep release. All of the components are made of strong stainless steel that resists blemishing. Like most Barnetts, this one ships almost completely assembled, making it even more convenient. This beast of a crossbow has made us fall in love with it, and if you love powerful weapons, we’re pretty sure you will love it too!

The Raptor is Barnett’s most popular line of crossbows, and the Barnett Raptor FX2 (the second Raptor on this list) really makes us see why. Everything from the custom composite laminated limbs to the bristle retainer makes it feel custom-made. It’s made from all quality parts, and the bow really feels like a long-lasting, durable weapon with a lot going for it. With a draw weight of 150 and 12.5-inch power stroke, it produces tops speeds of 330 feet per second. This crossbow is as deadly as its namesake, for sure! Like many of the other Barnetts, this one features the super lightweight stock that shaves loads of weight from the bow. It includes a sweet red-dot sight or 4x32 scope, a rope cocking device, three arrows and a quiver, and a Talon crossbow sling for easy carrying.

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